Signaling-circuit for railways.



- PATENTED JAN. 10, 1905.

A. J. WILSON. SIGNALING GIRGUIT FOR RAILWAYS.

INVENTOR ATTORN S APPLIOATION FILED FEB. 10,1902.

UNITED STATES Eatented January 10, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

I ADONIRAM J WILSON, OF I/VESTFIELD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO HALL SIGNAL COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

SIGNALING-CIRCUIT FOR RAILWAYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 779,895, dated January 10, 1905.

Application filed February 10, 1902. Serial No. 93,366.

Railways, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to signaling-circuits for railways. Its object is to simplify, improve, and make certain the operation of signaling-circuits for controlling signals, and is especially adapted for use where signals are arranged in pairs, as in the ordinary construction of home and distant signals; also, to enable a single relay to control two signalsas, for example, a pair of home and distant signals; also, to place the distant signal of such a pair also under the control of the home signal of the pair next in advance; also, to do away with the necessity of changing the direction of flow of the current in a track or other circuit, and thus to dispense with a polechanger, and also in some of its features to better guard against extraneous or foreign currents that may find their way into the circuit, especially where the latter is a trackcircuit.

. In the accompanying drawing, forming part of this specification, I have shown and will now proceed to describe the preferred form or embodiment of my improvement. Insaid drawing my improvement is shown in connection with a system of home and distant signals commonly employed, although it is obvious that my invention is not limited to use with such a system.

Referring to the specific apparatus and circuits shown in the drawing, 1, 2, and 3 represent the blocks in a railway-track insulated from one another in the well-known manner.

4 4% represent a series of home signals, and 5 5 a series of distant signals, and, as shown, these signals are arranged in pairs, a home and a distant signal being mounted upon the same post 6 in the usual manner. Each pair of these signals is controlled by a single relay 7, which for this purpose is provided with two armatures forming circuitcontrollers, one controlling one signal and the other controlling the other. In the form shown in the drawing 8 is the armature or circuit-controller controlling the home signal and 9 that controlling the distant signal. As shown, 8 is the ordinary form of armature and 9 a polarized armature. Although I prefer to use a polarized armature for one of these circuitcontrollers, because it is not affected by all extraneous or stray currents that may get into its circuit, my invention is not limited to the use of such an armature. The only essential in this particular is that the two armatures be such as to respond to different strengths of current.

Relay 7 and its circuit are provided with means for varying the strength of the current adapted to pass through the relay, by means presently to be described, and the two armatures of the relay are arranged so that one only of them will respond when the weaker current is sent through the relay, and both will respond when a stronger current is sent through it. In the form shown in the draw ing armature 8 responds to the weaker current, while polarized armature 9 does not, and both respond when a full current is sent through the circuit.

While any suitable means may be employed for varying the strength of the current in the circuit of relay 7 I prefer to effect this by means of a resistance 10, which is thrown into or out of circuit. While any suitable means may be employed for this purpose, I prefer to make such means automatic and to place them under the control of the home signal next in advance. In the specific form shown in the drawing the circuit through relay 7 and the means for cutting the resistance in and out are as follows: The circuit through relay 7 is preferably a track-circuit and is shown as such in the drawing, 11 constituting the battery, the circuit running from one side of the battery through wire 12, one rail of the block through relay 7 back to the other rail and through wire 13 to contactpiece 14, which is connected in any suitable way mechanically to home signal 4. As shown, contact-piece] 14 is carried on an arm 15, pivoted to one end of home signal 4. Contact-piece 14 makes contact either with contact-piece 16 or contactpiece 17, depending upon the position of the home signal. When the signal is at danger, as shown in block 1, contact is made with contact 16. WVhen the home signal is at safety, as shown in block 2, contact is made with contact 17. The circuit is completed either from contact 16 or 17 through wire 18, resistance 10, and wire 19 or through wire 20 and wire 19 to battery 11, depending upon which contact 14 is in engagement with.

When contact is made between 14 and 16, resistance 10 is included in the circuit and the current is correspondingly weakened through relay 7. lNhen contact is made between 14 and 17, the resistance is cut out and the current through relay 7 is made stronger. The two armatures are so adjusted that when the resistance is thrown into circuit the magnetization of relay 7 is sullicient to draw armature 8 upward against its contact-point 2'1, but not sullicient to draw polarized armature 9 against its contact-point 22.

23 is the battery of the local signaling-circuit. The circuit through the home signal runs from one side of battery 23 through wire 24, contact 21, circuit-controller 8, wire 25, the signal-wires 26 and 27, back to battery. This circuit is controlled solely by circuit-con troller 8.

The circuit through distant signal 5 runs from one side of the battery 23 through wire 24, contact 21,circuit-controller 8, wire 28, contact 22, circuit-controller 9, wire 29, distant-signal 5, wires 30and 27, back to battery. This circuit is controlled by both circuit-controllers 8 and 9.

In the drawing a train is represented as at point 81 on block The operation of the device is as follows: With the train at point 31 the current of battery 11 of block 1 is shunted from relay? and the contact of both circuit-controllers 8 and 9, with their contact-points, is broken, causing both signals to show danger. In this position of home signal 4 contact-piece 14 is in engagement with contact 16. This causes the circuit of battery 11 of block 2 to pass through resistance 10, weakening the current so that magnet 7 of that block is not strong enough to close the polarized armature against its contact 22, but does close circuit-controller 8 against point 21, closing the circuit through the home signal of block 2 and moving that signal to safety, but leaving the circuit through the distant signal 5 broken and leaving that signal at danger, as shown. As home signal 4 moved to its safety position it broke contact between 14 and 16 and made contact between 14 and 17 at'the beginning of block 2, thus throwing resistance 10 out of the circuit of relay 7 of block 3, causing that relay to also close contact between the circuit-controller 9 and contact-point 22, moving the distant signal at the beginning of that block also to safety, as shown.

By means of my improved device two signals can be'operated by a single relay, and

this is accomplished without changing the direction of flow of the current and without the necessity of using a pole-changer and a slow-acting relay. The apparatus is simple in construction and can be made and installed and operated very cheaply. Where a polarized armature is used, my improved device guards against extraneous currents that may get upon the track-circuit in as complete a manner as at present possible.

By doing away with the necessity of having a pole-changer or other devices for changing the direction of flow of the current and also by dispensing with the slow-acting relay the mechanism is very much simplified and made more certain in operation. This is especially true with regard to the slow-acting relay, which is difficult to adjust and to keep in adjustment, as such relays must be arranged accurately and with great care in order to respond properly.

Many changes in or departures from the form of apparatus and circuits shown in the drawing may of course be made without departing from my invention, the essentials of which are set forth in the claims appended hereto.

W hat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an electric signaling system the combination of two signals, a single relay for controlling both signals provided with two armatures responding to difierent strengths of current, one armature controlling one signal and the other armature controlling the other signal, a circuit through said relay and means for varying the strength of the current therein, whereby one or both of the signals may be operated.

2. In an electric signaling system the combination of two signals, a single relay for controlling both signals provided with two armatures responding to diflerent strengths of current, one armature controlling one signal and the other armature controlling the other signal, a circuit through said relay, and means for throwing a resistance into or cutting it out of the circuit for varying the strength of the current therein, whereby one or both of the signals may be operated.

3. In an electric signaling system the combination of home and distant signals arranged in pairs, a single relay for controlling both signals of a pair provided with two armatures responding to different strengths of current, one armature controlling the home signal and the other armature controlling the distant signal, a circuit through said relay and means automatically controlled by the home signal in advance for throwing a resistance into or cutting it out of the circuit for varying the strength of the current therein, whereby both signals may be operated or the distant signal may alone be operated.

4:. In an electric signaling system the combination of two signals, a single relay for controlling both signals provided with two armatures responding to different strengths of current, one armature controlling one signal and the other armature controlling the other signal, a track-circuit through said relay and means for varying the strength of the current in said track-circuit, whereby one or both of the signals may be operated.

5. In an electric signaling system the combination of two signals, a single relay for controlling both signals provided with a neutral armature and a polarized armature, the former reponding to a weaker current than the polarized armature, the neutral armature controlling one signal and the polarized armature controlling the other signal, a circuit through said relay, and means for throwing a resistance into or out of circuit for varying the strength of the current therein, whereby one or both of the signals may be operated.

6. In an electric signaling system the combination of home and distant signals arranged in pairs, a single relay for controlling both signals of a pair provided with a neutral armature and a polarized armature, the neutral armature controlling the home signal and the polarized armature controlling the distant signal, a circuit through said relay, and means for throwing a resistance into or out of circuit for varying the strength of the current therein, whereby one or both of the signals may be operated.

7 In an electric signaling system the combination of two signals, a single relay for controlling both signals provided with a neutral armature and a polarized armature, the former responding to a weaker current than the latter, the armature of the neutral magnet controlling one signal and the polarized armature controlling the other signal, a track-circuit through said relay, and means automatically controlled by a signal in advance for throwing a resistance into or cutting it out of the said circuit, whereby one or both of the signals may be operated.

8. In an electric signaling system the combination of home and distant signals arranged in pairs, a single relay for controlling both signals of a pair provided with a neutral armature and a polarized armature, the former responding to a weaker current than the latter, the neutral armature controlling both the home and the distant signal and the polarized armature controlling only the distant signal, a track-circuitthrough said relay, a resistance therein, and means for throwing said resistance into or out of the circuit for varying the strength of the current therein, whereby one or both of the signals may be operated.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ADONIRAM J. WILSON.

Witnesses:

EDWIN SEGER, J OHN O. GEMPLER. 

